During our weekly google hangouts video conference for the Chasing Natives Film, we decided that it was time for us to start making bi weekly video updates on whats going on with the film and any major updates we have on the progress. This week, Marcos and myself were tasked with making the first video. It would be a basic rundown of the entire project and forward everyone to our social media and website.
A basic script was written and we made plans to get out on the water first thing Friday morning to make the short film. We wanted it to be funny and kind of different than just us talking to the camera, but unfortunately we couldk’t make that happen with no fish willing to participate at our first spot. So we headed back to my house with plans of just going back out later in the afternoon. Marcos really wanted to do something unique and decided we should rent some paddleboards, so we headed to one of the local shops that rents them out.
We headed to a canoe launch I had never fished before and made our way through the maze filled mangroves in hopes of coming across some big winter time redfish or maybe a few snook willing to participate. Marcos a somewhat unexperienced individual to the paddle craft world moved at a slower pace to get the hang of paddling and fishing from the paddle board. After I had made it a bit further past Marcos where I couldn’t see him anymore I decided to stop at a shallow intersection of two canals. While sitting there I watched tarpon start rolling in the middle of the canal, something I wasn’t expecting to see with the recent cold snap. I waited for Marcos to catch back up and we made our way in.
When we entered the lagoon I went along the left side and Marcos went along the right side. We figured if we went different ways and met up at the other end we would have both covered the mangrove covered shorelines. I quickly made my way to the back all while seeing tarpon busting schools of mullet throughout the lagoon. I made a long cast to a hole in the mangroves where I spooked a monster bull redfish sitting just a few feet in front of me when my fly line hit the water. With murky water it was very hard to see any fish sitting on the muddy bottom unless they were pushing wake.
Marcos goes on to hook a stud snook that literally pulled him off the paddle board, while he was trying to grab his gear that had fallen off the board he lost the fish to the mangroves. A few moments later I made a cast into another mangrove hole where my fly was slammed just after hitting the water. The fish ran out into the middle of the lagoon but quickly realized it stood a better chance if it went back into the mangroves. At first I thought it was a snook because it hadn’t jumped yet but the second she neared the mangroves she jumped straight into them. At the point the little tarpon had managed to turn my paddle board around and I was lodged in the mangroves, not wanting to lose the tarpon when she made another run I gracefully fell off the board and into the water.
A few jumps later I finally managed to grab the leader but she wasn’t finished with the fight yet. She went on to jump and wrap around me a few more times.
I finally managed to grab the little gal while Marcos was able to get some great video where I pulled these frame grabs from. A few moments later and she was on her way.
Marcos and I then continued our paddle back out of the lagoon while making a few more casts in hopes of tricking some more tarpon into eating. With no such luck we headed for the nearest flat we could find among the mangrove mazes and recorded our Chasing Natives update video. Lookout for that video in the coming days!